Brain wave stimulation may improve Alzheimer’s symptoms, suggests a new MIT study, which found that noninvasive treatment using a unique combination of light and sound improves memory and reduces amyloid plaques in mice - the plaques were cleared in large swaths of the brain.

By exposing mice to a unique combination of light and sound, MIT neuroscientists have shown that they can improve cognitive and memory impairments similar to those seen in Alzheimer’s patients.

This noninvasive treatment, which works by inducing brain waves known as gamma oscillations, also greatly reduced the number of amyloid plaques found in the brains of these mice. Plaques were cleared in large swaths of the brain, including areas critical for cognitive functions such as learning and memory.